There will be no gold in Beijing for Nick Symmonds.

Frank Mungeam

Nick Symmonds used a devastating kick to post the top 800 meter time at the Olympic Trials in Eugene.

The Willamette University All American finished fifth in his semifinal heat of the 800 meters and did not qualify for the Olympic final.

Symmonds' heat unfolded as a slow, tactical race, as runners saved themselves for the finishing kick. The top five runners were separated at the finish by little more than half a second.

Symmonds finished the semifinal heat in 1:46.96, well off the time of 1:44:10 he ran to win the U.S. Track Trials in Eugene just seven weeks earlier. His Trials time would have been fast enough to win two of the three semifinal heats.

Earlier, in the quarterfinals, Christian Smith and Andrew Wheating, the two other Oregonians on the men's 800 team, were eliminated.